Story hour was just about to begin. Miss Hattie, known to some of the “Can Do” Kids as Grandma Hattie, was just settling down in her comfortable chair at the front of the room. She had a storybook in her hand when the door opened and there was Jay!
Several of the “Can Do’ Kids yelled out, “Hi Jay, welcome home.”
Jay ran for a seat, but before he could sit down Miss Hattie said, ” \Jay, everyone is so glad to see you. We know you spent the month of July on the reservation in Dakota with your grandparents. How about sharing a story or two about what you learned during your visit?”
Jay said, “Sure, I’d love to tell a story about how my tribe lived long ago, before Native Americans lived on reservations. I’d like to tell a story about how important the buffalo were to my people.”
The “Can Dos” settled down and paid close attention as Jay told his story.
“Once there were so many buffalo on the Great Plains. The buffalo were revered by my people both in songs and stories. The buffalo provided food and clothing and other things that my tribe needed in order to live.
My people followed the buffalo as they moved around looking for food to eat. My tribe would pack up all that they owned and make camp near where the buffalo were grazing. The men would go out and hunt buffalo while the women and children stayed behind.
When the men brought the buffalo they killed back to the camp, the women and children would help to make the things they needed to survive. My tribe did not waste any part of the buffalo.
I have a picture I brought from the reservation for show and tell when school got started, but I think I should show it now. Wait till you see all that my tribe got from the buffalo!”
With that, Jay unrolled the picture below. The “Can Dos” were amazed to see all the ways that Jay’s tribe had used the buffalo to survive.
“Class, Jay is going to tell us about how Native Americans helped to make our first Thanksgiving possible,” said Miss Pat. “As you know, Jay is a Native American.”
